Raw Béchamel Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

It has been a long time since I have had pasta with a béchamel sauce so This may not taste exactly like one you had last week. This is a fast easy dish.

Ingredients:

Zucchini (1 large, cut into noodles)

Béchamel Sauce:

• Cashews Raw (1/4 C soaked 6-8 hours)
• Garlic (1-2 cloves)
• Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• Salt to taste
• Italian Seasoning blend (3 heaping tbs or more)
• Water for desired sauce thickness, I use the cashew soak water

The longer the cashews can soak the better, but 2 hours will work. For the sauce, blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor, except the oil and blend for about 80 seconds. Add the oil for the last 4 seconds of blending. For the zucchini I use a spiralizer to make the noodles but you can use a knife or potato peeler.

Combine the sauce and noodles. This makes enough for one person’s main dish. This is the simplest version. There are many variations. You can add sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, basil etc to the dish. You can add other spices to the sauce. The 3 keys to this dish are of course fresh local zucchini, real family raised Olive Oil and the spices. If you can grow your own Italian spices and add them fresh or dry them  for adding to this dish, then you will have one of the finest artistic creations man is capable of. But if like me, you are unable to grow spices then select a blend that you like. Mine is a Herbes de Provence blend of savory, thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon and lavender flowers.

For those new to raw meals this may not have that heavy creamy butter taste you are use to in a Béchamel Sauce but give it a try and see how you feel an hour later. Instead of wanting to go to sleep you will be dancing a wild Tarantella.      Salud

Whole Grains in a Raw Foods Diet

Incorporating whole grains into a raw foods diet is hard. If wheat and rice raise your glucose level it gets even harder. Luckily for us there is SPROUTING.  For thousands of years breads were made from sprouted grains. Not only does sprouting include all the nutrition of whole grains but you also get added vitamins like C. When I eat sprouted wheat my glucose level does not spike. Once you start sprouting you will realize you can “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war”  

There are many good web pages on how to sprout. My favorite is www.sproutpeople.com Do not stress over how long the seeds need to soak or at what stage are they edible. Nature has allowed for much flexibility. If the web says to sprout Rye seeds for 8 hours then anywhere from 6 to 14 hours works fine. Some of it depends on the quality of your seeds. Smaller seeds such as quinoa only take 20 minutes of soaking and are ready to eat 18 hours later. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get good quality, organic Non GMO seeds. It is best if you can buy seeds directly from growers.

In the photo below you can see Wheat Berry seeds I bought directly from a farmer at the Tower Grove Missouri Farmers Market. In the bowl on the right are the seeds and the bowl on the left are seeds that were soaks for 10 hours and sprouted for about 16 hours. Wheat Berries take a little longer than other grains. Sprout them between 12 and 24 hours. Keep checking on their chewiness until you decide what sprouting time length works for you.

In the next photo is Kamut, another type of wheat grain. They take about as long as wheat berries. Kamut has a milder less wheaty taste.

In the next photo are Mung Beans. These are familiar to all. Until you have selected very high quality Mung Beans you do not know why these have been used in Asian dishes for 5000 years. The stuff you buy in US markets has such an overwhelming mungy taste that I feel they overwhelm a dish. Yet when I sprout my own, I only sprout for about 3 days and end up with a wonderfully tasteful addition to many dishes.

The next photo is the surprisingly overlooked Oat seed. Oats that have been soaked for 12 hours and sprouted for 12 hours have an amazingly beautiful sweet taste. These you must sprout at least once in your life. Sprouted Oats, walnuts, nutritional yeast, flax seeds and honey mixed together make a truly delicious and nutritious breakfast. You will never eat instant oatmeal again.

Below is Quinoa. This grain does not taste the same sprouted as it does cooked. The sprouted version is a little more bitter. Soak for 20 minutes and sprout for 12 to 36 hours. The photo shows Quinoa seeds that have been sprouted for about 36 hours. The seeds must be rinsed thoroughly before soaking. Because sprouted quinoa has a slightly off taste I use about 1/3 as much as I would in a dish with cooked Quinoa.

The last photo is rye. Rye is the least expensive of grains so I use it the most. In the photo is Rye that was soaked 12 hours then sprouted about 20 hours.

These grains should  be put in sealed containers in the refrigerator when they reach the sprout length you like. Each hour in the fridge causes them to lose a little taste so eat within 60 hours. The first 24 hours in the fridge is when they taste best. Rye is the one grain that keeps growing while in the fridge. The key to this is not to sprout alot of each. I do about ¼ a cup of each. In any given day, I have 3-4 grains, beans and seed going. I also sprout garbanzo beans and lentils.

Be sure the bowl holding the seeds and water has at least 3 times the volume of water as seeds because the seeds will swell. If a sprouting attempt does not work, look for another source of seeds and try again. I buy cheap colanders and use them to hold the sprouting seeds. Sprout trays are great but are $15 each whereas colanders are a dollar. Metal colanders are the least toxic.

Once you start sprouting you will not stop. Why are politicians and economists promoting the idea that we must instill confidence in investors in order to help the economy? I say sprout!

Raw Apple Sauce

Here is an old fashioned dish that should be prepared weekly by every household.

Ingredients:

• Apples (4 cups)
• Menjool Dates or Figs (1/4-1/2 cup soaked 1 hour)
• Raisins (1 cup good quality)
• Cinnamon (3 heaping tbs)
• Water (½ a cup)
• Cloves, nutmeg, honey, agave nectar, etc., to taste

Even though you are using locally raised organic apples, wash them first. I leave the skins on. Most apple sauce recipes call for removing the skin. It will take a little getting used to the different texture of apple sauce made with the skins left on. Apple skins are nutritious but years of buying unknown mysterious apples from grocery stores have led us to be a nation of apple skin phobic’s. Remove the core from the apples. Compose core. Mix all ingredients in a blender for up to 2 minutes. This keeps in a refrigerator for up to a week. I prefer Vietnamese Cinnamon in this dish but Ceylon or Chinese works well too. Many spices work well here, you cannot go wrong as the main flavor will be the apple. Experiment with different varieties of apples. Your weekly farmers market should be bursting with Heirloom Apples. Salud!

Raw Fig Dressing:

This is a winner of a dressing. It has become my go to dressing when I am in a hurry. I just put it over vegetables and greens and let the feast begin.

Ingredients:

• Figs dried (¼-1/3 cup soaked two hours)
• Balsamic Vinegar (¼ cup)
• Olive Oil (¼ cup)
• Water (¼ cup fig soak water)
• Garlic (2 cloves)
• Dijon Mustard (1 tbs)
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Select the best dried figs you can find. If you are new to dried fruits, eat different dried figs from different stores to find the kind you like the best. Some can be supersweet. I prefer soft and moist ones. Soak until soft; some dried figs can take 4 hours to soften. For the Dijon Mustard, I sprout mustard seeds and blend in a food processor. You can use store bought Dijon or even skip this ingredient. A really good Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar is the key. For the Balsamic Vinegar, look for one labeled Aceto Balsamico Di Modena, but be very careful. Most Balsamic Vinegars labeled from Modena are fake and filled with artificial flavors and colors. Like selecting a good olive oil, check the labels on all Balsamic Vinegars (or any vinegar for that matter). If they list a web address, check them out and see if they are estate bottled and made the old traditional way by a multi-generational family in Modena Spain. Wine Vinegars also work well in this dressing. I have lately been using a red wine vinegar from Andalusia Spain that has been aged 12 years.

Put all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend about 1 minute. Add olive oil for the last five seconds. This one you can taste and adjust before you are through.  Some may like it thicker so use less water, I like this one runny. It makes about a cup to a cup and a half. I think it keeps well in a covered jar for at least four days. This works equally well with fresh figs if you can find them at a farmers market. 2 fresh figs equal about ¼ cup of dried figs.  Use this wonderful dressing as a replacement for those fake nasty fatty dressings sold in stores. Salud!

Tarragon Sprout Dressing

Here is another fast and tasty dressing. The strong Tarragon taste is not for everyone so experiment with less Tarragon or try another herb like Thyme, Cilantro, Rosemary, Sage, Savory etc.

Ingredients:

• Sprouts (1 cup Mung beans, any sprout will do)
• Tomato (1 large Heirloom)
• Tarragon (1/2 cup fresh)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 fresh squeezed)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix for 1 minute. This is maybe too thick for most people, see photo below in the blog before this. I like it thick over Acorn Squash that is from a farmers market and cut into sugar cube size to really taste the squash. I let this marinate over night to soften the squash and let the flavors work together. This dressing keeps for about 3 days covered in the refrigerator. When using sprouts in dressing, pates, etc keep in mind that they can go foul tasting fast, even when using lots of salt, lemon juice, vinegars, etc. So use in 1-3 days to be safe. These are fast and easy to make so get use to making dressing fresh, when you want them.

As you may be able to tell by this recipe I do not list all details. I assume you know to wash the tomato and cut to chunks before putting in the processor. Also the length of time to sprout is up to you. I like about 3 days for the mung bean. I buy my mung beans from a local farmer and they are very flavorful. Sprouts of any kind change their flavor the longer they sprout, so keep sprouting and testing to see what length of sprouting time gives you the taste you like best.

You can see a picture of this dressing in the blog post just before this called "Raw Sweet Potato Pie" Salud!

Raw Sweet Potato Pie

If you grew up on sweet potato pie then this recipe requires practice to get the right amount of each ingredient for that old time taste. My mother made this with sugar and marshmallows.

Ingredients:

• Sweet Potato (2 cups)
• Apple (1 cup)
• Walnuts (1 cup)
• Dates (1/4 cup soaked 30-60 minutes)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 medium fresh squeezed)
• Cinnamon (1/6 cup)
• Nutmeg (1 heaping tbs)
• Salt (to taste, 2 tbs)
• Honey (4 tbs)

Blend everything together in a food processor for at least 1 minute. I like this very smooth but you may like chucky. You can substitute any nuts for the walnuts. On the net most raw sweet potato pie recipes call for Orange Juice. Since it takes 55 gallons of water to make one orange, I use lemons. Using different nuts or the juice changes the taste. Lots of nutmeg and cinnamon can cover this.

This makes a side dish for 4 people. This is very good for a potluck. If you can find local walnuts then it really gets good. Local apples and sweet potato are a must. Experiment with different varieties of heirloom apples. This should keep covered in the fridge for 3 days.

In the photo below I paired sweet potato pie (on the lower left) with raw squash with tarragon dressing. I also had a veggie lasagna. I am not 100% raw. I made lasagna with my vegetarian brother to show him how easy a healthy lasagna can be. Salud.

Raw Molé

This one has taken me 2 years to get to work. For this dish you must practice. It’s not for everyone. If you have never had Molé you may be off put by the strong chocolate flavor over vegetables. Molé is a sauce used on meats in Mexico. I am not an eater of chocolate. When I make a sweet such as bliss balls I use Carob powder which is from a completely different plant than Cacao. But Carob does not work for me in this dish.

Ingredients:

• Red Pepper (1 large)
• Jalapeño (1 medium or any hot pepper)
• Dates ( 3 menjool soaked 2 hours)
• Chipotle pepper (dried, 1 medium, soaked 2 hours, can use 2 tbs Chipotle powder)
• Pumpkin seeds (1 tbs)
• Flax seeds or Flax meal (1 tbs)
• Cacao Power (2 heaping tbs)
• Epazote (2 tbs, find at Mexican grocery stores, can omit)
• Oregano (dried or fresh 1 tbs)
• Cumin (dried 1 tbs)
• Cilantro (1/4 cup fresh)
• Agave nectar (2 tbs)
• Water (date and chipotle soak water, enough to reach desired consistency)
• Salt/pepper to taste


Before soaking the dates and chipotle pepper, cut them into smaller pieces and they do not have to soak as long. Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix for at least 2 minutes. I like this very thick as you can see in the photo. The key is lots of red pepper, good dates, fresh cilantro and epazote powder. If you cannot find epazote powder then double the cumin.

The second photo shows the mole over raw corn, squash and red peppers. Add also tomatoes and any other vegetables you have. This dish makes a nice addition to a salad or parsley Mexican rice. It is definitely not for everyone as it has a very desserty taste because of the large amount of cacao powder so experiment before you make it the centerpiece of a meal. This dish may not be raw as the dates and Chipotle pepper may not be sun dried. Salud!

Sorry but the blog has gotten weird and I cannot post pictures????

Squash Blossoms stuffed with Sprouted Sunflower Purée and Tomato Coulis

It takes you longer to say the name of this dish than it does to make it. If you are growing your own squash or are going to farmers markets then you have access to squash blossoms. Once you have made this dish I will guarantee that you will never vote democrat or republican again. Your eyes will be open and your chains will be broken. You are welcome comrade.

Ingredients:

Squash Blossoms (10, or as many as you want to make) (See photo below)

Sprouted Sunflower Purée:

• Spouted Sunflower Seeds (1/2 cup, if alone) (other recipes suggest Pistachios or Pine Nuts)
• Sprouted Rye (if combining with sunflowers then use ¼ cup of each)
• Lemon juice (1/2 fresh squeezed)
• Olive Oil (5 tbs)

Tomato Coulis:

• 1 small Heirloom Tomato
• Sage (4 fresh leaves, experiment with any fresh picked herb)
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil (2 tbs)

My recipe is an adaptation from the book “Entertaining in the Raw” by Matthew Kenney. He suggests pistachios for the purée. The most common ingredient on the net is pine nuts for the puree base. I soak sunflower seeds and rye seeds in water for 8 hours then sprout for around 8 more hours. I think this is a nutritious inexpensive type of filling and it tastes great too. You may only want to use ½ cup of sprouted sunflower seeds. You can use tahini, babab ganoush, hummus, nut pate, etc etc etc. Anything will work as the purée base. Use a food processor to mix the seeds and lemon juice for about 80 seconds adding the oil for the last 5 seconds. I like this thick but you can thin it with water if you prefer.

For the tomato coulis chop up the tomatoes and put in blender with salt and sage leaves. Blend until smooth about 60 seconds adding the oil for the last 5 seconds. Select a very ripe heirloom tomato of any color or variety. You want to really taste the tomato in this dish.Most Coulis recipes say to strain but I like it chunkyish.

Stuff each blossom with the puree, place on a plate and cover with the tomato coulis. This makes enough as a main dish for 2 people. I get my squash blossoms at the Tower Grove (St. Louis USA) farmers market. Get there at 7am or they will be gone!! When you put one of these in your mouth you want to taste the blossom, sunflower seed and tomato. This dish is for you from Mother Earth and your local farmer.  Salud!

Saffron Avgolemono Soup, Mushroom Meatballs and Oregano Cream

This is modified slightly from a recipe in the book “Entertaining in the Raw” by Matthew Kenney. This book was a wonderful gift from Annie and Ray. Many of the recipes in this book are expensive and time consuming to make, but I have found the recipes to be very inspiring and I have adopted many of them to my budget.

Avogolemono soup is a Mediterranean dish meaning “Ègg-lemon”. I have never had it so I am not sure how closely this raw dish tastes like the real thing.

Ingredients:

Avgolemono:

Jicama (1/2 cup)
Cashews (1/4 cup soaked 4 hours)
Lemon Juice (1 large squeezed)
Olive oil (4 tbs)
Saffron (1/2-1 teaspoon dissolved in warm water)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Mushroom Meatballs:

Mushroom, Portobello or Shitake works best (1 cup)

Peanuts Raw (1/4cup ) (Any nuts work, walnuts are the best)
Tahini (3 tbs)
Olive Oil (2 tbs)
Zucchini (1 8 inch chopped into small pieces)
Oregano (1/5 cup fresh)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Cream:

Cashews (1/6 cup soaked 4 hours)

Agave nector (4 tbs)
Oregano (1/4 cup fresh)
Nutritional Yeast (5 tbs)
Salt to taste
Soak water from cashew to desired thickness

For the Avgolemono, mix all the ingredients in a food processor for about 2 minutes. This one is easy to mess up and ruin your day as real saffron is expensive and if not prepared properly can either be tasteless or can overpower a dish. So go ahead, research what real saffron is so you do not get ripped off, then experiment. Warm water for the saffron for me is water too cool for tea but above room temperature. I soak the saffron threads for 2+ hours. I dissolve the threads in a cup of water and then use that water to thin the Avgolemono. Don't worry if some threads do not dissolve, after 2 hours in water they are ready. I like it gruel thickness but others like it soup like consistency.

For the meatballs you can use button mushrooms but portabellas or shitakes add flavor. I use raw peanuts as they are cheaper. This tastes best with walnuts. Raw tahini does not taste as creamy as roasted tahini. Raw tahini takes some getting used to so in the beginning you can use roasted tahini (especially if you live in cities like St. Louis where raw anything is hard to find). Blend all the ingredients in a food processor for about 30 seconds. The roll them into any size meatballs you like.

For the cream, mix all together in a food processor for 2 minutes. Add cashew soak water slowly to thin if you want thinner.

Put the Avgolemono in a bowl, add a few mushroom meatballs and put some of the cream on top. The above makes enough for one person as their main dish with a little left over. This dish makes a nice appetiser also. It seems like a lot of work. I can put all three together in 30 minutes. Double the ingredients for 2 people.

The key to this dish is getting the saffron taste correct and using very fresh oregano leaves.  Feel free to up the amount or oregano if you have it. This dish will pretty much convince you that raw and fresh can beat any cooked fatty, cheesy, creamy thing out there. Please comment with your opinion. This one is worth the work. You will not be disappointed. (Sorry the photo below is blurry) Salud!

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Raw Mexican Torte

This one takes time but is well worth it as you can make large numbers and freeze them.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• Almonds (2 cups)
• Walnuts (1 cup)
• Menjool Dates (1/2 cup, any type dried dates or raisins works)

Filling:

• Corn (2 cobs)
• Red Bell pepper (1 large, any kind of pepper works)
• Raw Cashews (1 cup, soaked in fridge, 2-24 hours)
• Nutritional Yeast Flakes (1/2 cup)
• Onion (1/4 cup any kind)
• Cilantro (1/2 a cup fresh)
• Garlic (4-6 gloves)
• Lime juice (1-2 limes depending on your taste)
• Salt to taste

For the crust you can use any combination of nuts and include things like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, honey, agave nectar, coconut etc. Adding more dates or raisins or other dried fruits like cherries, mulberry or goji berries makes the crust stand up better when it is finished but adds to the price. So depending on what you want your final torte to do, you can vary the amount of dried fruits to achieve the right type of crust. Blend all crust ingredients in a blender for about 1.5 minutes. Use a cupcake or biscuit baking tray and line each cupcake holder with a baking cup. Any size baking cup works. You can even make this as one pie size torte. I find using a metal cupcake tray is easiest but you can just use baking cups. Line each holder with the crust, making them as thin or as thick as you want. If you are serving them in the baking cup then you can make them very thin.

Chop the bell pepper into small pieces. Cut the corn off the cob. Blend the last seven ingredients for about 2 minutes. I use some of the cashew soak water to make the mixture the consistency of peanut butter. You can make it as thick or as thin as you like. Mix the blended ingredients in a bowl with the red pepper and corn. Spoon this mixture into the baking cups with the crust. Put the finished tortes in the freezer. When you are ready to serve them let them thaw for about 30 minutes.

This dish will surprise you. The key is fresh corn and red peppers from a farmers market. The interesting taste comes from fresh local cilantro (not from Mexico), lime and nutritional yeast. You can make as many as you can and they will keep in the freezer in a sealed container for 2 months.

You can also vary the filling. I cannot always afford cashews so I often substitute sunflower seeds, soaked 6-12 hours. Any raw pate can be a filling. If I have left over crust, I will sometimes add fruit or Baba Ganoush or raw hummus etc etc etc. I have given this version of the recipe as I think it has the most wow taste for newcomers to raw foods, but experimentation will give you wonders to amaze your friends. Salud

 

Raw Baba Ganoush

 

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post. The University of Victoria no longer hires foreign teachers so I had to leave Canada. I moved to St. Louis in May to take care of my 88 year old parents and to teach the Midwest US about the health benefits of eating just real food. 76% of all adult St. Louisians are overweight to the point of health problems so I am here to get that number down to less than 0.1%

 

This Baba Ganoush recipe took 2 years to make work. Most recipes say to peel and put the raw eggplant into a food processor with the other ingredients. I could never get the bitterness out of this dish until one online blog suggested to first freeze the eggplant. Voila!

 

Ingredients:

• Eggplant (medium, peeled and diced into small chunks then frozen)
• Cashews (1/2 cup soaked 12-24 hours)
• Garlic (3 cloves or more if you like)
• Lemon Juice (1 medium lemon squeezed or more)
• Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• Sea Salt (1 tps)
• Water (to desired consistency)

When I made cooked Baba Ganoush in the past I always left the eggplant peel on. This makes the dish bitterer but adds nutrients. When I make raw Baba Ganoush I still leave the peel on but for those new to the dish I highly recommend peeling the eggplant. This is another dish that benefits from buying fresh local eggplant at a farmers market. The thing called “eggplant” that you see in chain grocery stores does not have nearly the taste or nutrition of a locally grown, picked yesterday eggplant.

  

Peel the eggplant and cut into small cubes (sugar cube size if you have time but bigger is OK). Freeze these in a bag over night or longer. Soak the cashews for at least 6 but preferably 24 hours in a container in the refrigerator (closer to 24 hours if you are soaking whole cashews). If you soak for 18 to 24 hours then change the water at the half way point. I throw the frozen eggplant into my food processor but if you do not have a good strong food processor then thaw the eggplant first. By putting the eggplant in frozen, I find I do not have to add much water. The blending melts the eggplant and contributes water.

 

Editorial and product endorsement: When I moved to St. Louis, I was unable to bring my old $40 food processor with me. So I splurged (my brother chipped in half) and bought at $200 Cuisinart food processor. It is well worth the price. I can make soups, bliss balls etc in under a minute.

Drain the cashews (use the soak water to thin the mix). Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to desired consistency. This one takes practice to get the taste to where you like it. I like a garlicky taste so I add lots more garlic. I also like it hot so I add jalapenos, cayenne pepper, chili powder etc. You can add paprika or lime or cilantro leaves or honey or whatever to give it your unique twist. This is great for using as a dip, or spread on breads and crackers. I will sometimes make it thick and dip raw vegetables in it. Cooked Baba Ganoush is  usually made with Tahini. My version above is the least expensive way to make it. It certainly tastes creamier and richer with the addition of 1/4-1/2 cup of raw or toasted Tahini or any nut butter. Also you can just add Sesame seeds to your blender when you make this to get the taste more authuentic.

 

Raw Baba Ganoush keeps covered in the refrigerator for at least 5 days. This as an inexpensive, easy to make, nutritious dish that can brought out to enhance any meal. Salud!

 

Raw Dijon Mustard

This is great on crackers, sandwiches, as a dip for vegi’s and I often make it a tangy dressing by adding some water. This fresh taste will amaze you and you will never by a bottled Dijon again.

Ingredients:

• Sprouted Brown Mustard (1/2 cup)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (2 tbs)
• Sesame Oil (4 tbs, not raw can substitute a cold pressed oil)
• Ginger (2 tbs, grated)
• Garlic (1 medium clove, grated)
• Black pepper (1 tbs)
• Water (to desired thickness, 1/4 cup)

It is hard to find Brown mustard seeds suitable for sprouting. Only a few health food stores sell them. Mustard seeds are also one of the hardest to sprout as they need to be soaked for just the right amount of time (8 hours). I usually only get about 25% to sprout, however for a Dijon this is fine. I sprout for about 5 days with days 3-5 I give them sunlight. When the green stalks are about 1-1 ½ inches (2cm) they are ready. Put all ingredients including seeds that did not sprout, in a blender except the water.  Blend for about 1 minute. You end up with a thick Dijon. As I always say you want to experiment to get the flavor you like. This makes only about ¼ cup, enough for 2 sandwiches or if you want a dressing then double it by adding water.  I sometimes add either a hot pepper or Braggs (tamari sauce) to give it more heat. This is quite easy to make fresh as long as you started the mustards sprouting 5 days early. To simple to be worth the effort? Give it a try. I love this mother. Salud!

Below is a photo of sprouted mustard

Raw Hot Sweet Potato Soup

One criticism of a raw food meal is that in the winter people like a hot dish. A way around this is to simply heat the raw dish. Another way is to add hot spices. This soup will warm your cockles and taste darn good.

Ingredients:

• Sweet Potato (2 medium (2-3 cups) with skins on)
• Carrots (1 cup, skins on)
• Sprouts (1 cup, any kind, radish or alfalfa are nice)
• Tahini (2 heaping tbs, any nut butter works)
• Garlic (1-2 large cloves depending on your taste)
• Engevita Yeast (4 heaping tbs or more, any yeast works. Unless you grow it it’s not raw)
• Olive or Hemp Oil (3 tbs, can omit)
• Cayenne Pepper (1level tbs or more, any hot pepper works, fresh better)
• Water (3 cups, this depends on thickness you want)

Sprinkle on top of the soup any of the following:

• Onion bits (any kind, yellow through green)
• Chives
• Cilantro
• Nuts
• Sprouts
• Avocado slices
• Diakon radish slices
• Celery slices

Cut the ends and bad spots out of the carrots and sweet potatoes then wash. Cut them  into the same thumb size pieces. Put all the ingredients into a food processor except the oil. Blend to desired consistency, up to 3 minutes if you like a creamy soup. Add the oil for the last 5 seconds. You can add more water to make it thinner. Omit the water and you have a very nice pate. Many receipts call for nuts like cashews or avocados to make it creamer. I like it the above way because if you have fresh local sweet potatoes and carrots you can really taste the vegetables. The amount of hot pepper you put will come from trial and error. You do not want to overpower the dish. The yeast is important. For this dish you want to taste mainly the potatoes, carrots, pepeers and yeast with hints from the tahini and sprouts. You can find raw tahini in most stores; if not then use regular nut butter or make your own from raw sunflower seeds. The sprouts are not necessary, I am doing alot of sprouting and I like the added flavor.  I list extras you can put on top, the sky’s the limit. The above amounts make enough for 4 people as a nice lunch. You will find it filling if you eat it slow with a good microbrew. I make this amount and have it for lunch the next few days. This dish keeps for up to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Salud!

Halva

Most Halva made around the world has flour in it and the sweetener is usually heated to form sugar crystals. I actually like my version as it does not sit so heavily on my stomach. However this recipe will not hold together quite as well as a cooked one but still is an excellent item to make once a week and have it handy when hunger calls. I was introduced to Halva when I studied birds in Israel and Palestine in the late 1980’s. Their version is less sweeter than ones from other countries. My recipe is not raw as the coconut butter needs to be heated. If you can keep the heat below 40°C (104°F) then you are raw. I am not sure my stove top goes that low.

Ingredients:

• Sesame Seed (2 cups)
• Honey (3 tbs) Be sure you buy honey directly from a bee keeper, never from a store!
• Coconut butter (1/4 a cup)

Put the sesame seeds in a food processor and blend. Mine is not so strong so I have to run it for about 3 minutes. Stop every few seconds to scrap down the sides of the processor. A good food processor will turn the sesame seeds into Tahini (sesame paste). Some raw halva recipes on the net say to add tahini if your food processor cannot break down the seeds. Perhaps if I ran my machine for longer it would do it. But for me 3 minutes is enough electricity usage.

Melt the coconut on a stove until it is runny. This takes only a few seconds. Keep stirring the coconut or it will burn. Add the honey and melted coconut butter to the food processor and blend for 5 more seconds. Put the halva in any shape metal or aluminum pan. Some people like to line the pan with wax paper first. Use a potato masher to push the halva down tight. Thickness of the halva is up to you. I like thin, about 3 cm (1 inch). I keep this in the freezer uncovered until I want some. This hardens the halva. Normal Halva (cooked) or Halva made with a strong food processor can be keep in a refrigerator to harden.

If you have had halva from around the world you know that many things are added to it. The most common are Pistachios and dried coconuts. Start with this recipe and if you like it then go on the net and explore the worlds cuisne. Make some simple halva and tell me is this not tastier, healthier and cheaper than a factory made candy bar? Salud!

Biss Balls Part 2

I posted a version in 2010. I have been experimenting alot as my original recipe had expensive ingredients. My ultimate goal is to make it 100% local. This version may not be as tasty as one with cashews, macadamia nuts and Menjool Dates, but it still makes for an excellent snack any time of day. Most ingredients are raw to those new to my blog.

Ingredients:

Almonds (1 and a half Cups)

Dates (baking)(1 cup)
Sunflower Seeds (half a cup)
Agave Nectar (1/6 to1/4 cup) (not raw)

Blend these in a food processor. Some people like it ground to almost a flower. I like to still have some chunks of nuts. Roll into balls of whatever size you prefer. I like golf ball size. Some use an ice cream scoop or a spoon. I just roll into balls with my hand. If it is not sticking then it needs more dates and agave. This makes about 10 balls. I find they last a week covered in the refrigerator but I suspect they could go 3 weeks. Menjool dates are far superior to what are called baking dates but can be 4 times as expensive. Make Bliss Balls with both and see what you think. I like less agave but friends love ones with lots of agave so play around and keep testing.

Now to this you can add anything. Here is a list of ingredients I like.

Nuts (of any kind)

Pumpkin Seeds
Sesame Seeds (yellow or black)

Dried fruit:

Coconut (dried Flakes)
Coconut Butter
Raisins (any kind)
Dried fruits (Apricot, Figs or Mulberry work well)
Goji Berry

Spices:

Cinnamon
Clove
Star Anise
Cacao beans
Cacao powder

Replacement for Agave nectar:
Honey (Be sure you know the hive owner)
Real Maple Syrup (Not raw)

The key is to keep it about 2/3 seeds and nuts and 1/3 dried fruits and dates. Some dried fruits work better than others as they are stickier. Experiment. The spices also take alot of experimenting. I find that grading a whole cinnamon stick barely imparts much extra flavor but 2 sticks make it very interesting. I always make bliss balls with whatever I have on hand. Salud!

Golden Beet Ravioli with Squash Sauce

This one has multiple sets of possible ingredients. I have made it a number of different ways and have always been happy. Soaking the nuts helps for creamery sauce but I often forget to do this ahead of time so I just throw them in as is. I like Golden Beets. This recipe is often online with Purple beets as the base. They work great, so does Kohlrabi, Zucchini, Squash, Turnip, Diakon and Rutabaga. Use what you have. The key is to slice as thin as possible. If you can see through a slice then it will be perfect. However my Mandolin slicer does not let me slice very thin so I end up with what you see in the photo below. It works fine for me but the ravioli is then hard to cut into bite size.

  

Ingredients:

Golden Beet (amount depends on how many ravioli you want to make)

Filling:

• Walnuts (1 cup)
• Cilantro (1/4 cup) most recipes call for parsley, I have also used carrot tops or green onions
• Lemon Juice (1/2 lemon)
• Braggs (3 tbs or Tamari sauce)
• Garlic (2 Large cloves or more)

Squash Sauce:

• Squash (1 cup any kind) Net recipes call for red and yellow peppers as they make a smoother sauce
• Cashews (1/2 cup soaked 2-12 hours) Net recipes call for Pine Nuts
• Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
• Green onion or Leek (1/4 cup the white part)
• Turmeric (3 heaping tbs)
• Chile Powder or Red pepper flakes (2 tbs add only if you want heat)
• Olive oil (4 tbs)
• Water for thickness or thinness

Peel the beet or whatever vegetable you are using. Slice as thin as possible with a mandolin slicer. I find a knife is too dangerous for this. Some online recipes say cover the sliced vegetable with salt for 2 hours then rinse to get a soft base. I have not tried this. I like a crunchy base but then it does not really resemble ravioli.

For the filling, mix all the ingredients together in a food processor. I find I get the most garlic flavor if I shred the garlic first with a shredder but it is ok to just throw the whole cloves in as is. This makes enough filling for around 10 large raviolis. I have used other things for the filling including the above but instead of walnuts I use sprouted sunflower seeds or 5 heaping tbs of almond butter. Any nut or nut butter would work. It’s a wide open thing so experiment. There are no rules except strive for excellence in taste (and of course local, organic and raw).

For the sauce, cut the squash into thumb sized chucks to make the processing go faster. Put everything but the oil into a food processor and blend. Use water to reach desired thickness. Add oil only for the last 5 seconds of blending. Some days I like a thick paste other days I add extra pepper flakes and water and get a liquidy sauce. Turmeric is always hard to work with. Too little and it does not add flavor and color and too much and it overpowers. On the net recipes like this call for red and yellow bell peppers instead of squash. Bell peppers make the sauce much milder and therefore better if you want to emphasize the filling in this dish.

To assemble, place one beet slice on a plate, add a spoon full of filling, cover with a beet slice of equal size and put sauce on top. As you can see from the photo, mine resembles more a sandwich. Most net photos show a veg slice so thin that the top veg slice covers the filling and it looks like colored ravioli. This dish is faster to make then it looks. I have made this dish also with a tomato based sauce. For that meal I made the squash sauce very thick and used it as the filling and covered with the tomato sauce. I find this dish to be very filling. Five of these babies and I am very full. This recipe is an outline; do not be restrained by it. Explore new possibilities. Salud!

Squash with Wine Sauce and Marinated Mushrooms

This is a slight variation from that wonderful raw foods web page www.rawmazing.com. Check them out for great recipes and excellent photos. On paper this dish does not jump out, but make it and you will enter another dimension.

Ingredients:

• Squash (1-1 and 1/2 cups, any kind)
• 8 Button Mushrooms (medium size)

Marinade:

• Olive Oil (4 tbs)
• Balsamic Vinegar (4 tbs)
• Braggs (or Tamari sauce, 3 tbs)

Wine Sauce:

• Cashews (½ cup, soaked up to 12 hours if possible)
• Wine (White or Red ¼ cup)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 medium lemon)
• Sage (3 tbs dried)
• Water (1/2 cup, I use soak water from cashews)
• Salt to taste

Cut the mushrooms (portabellas work best but I cannot always afford them) into whatever size you like. I like big. Put in a bowel with the Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar (I use one with 15 year old aged sherry added) and Braggs. Mix thoroughly and keep mixing throughout the marinating process if possible. Leave covered or uncovered in fridge anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. Some mushrooms really soak up the marinade so check after an hour and add more if needed so that all mushrooms are coated. This keeps for 4 days so can be used on top of anything. There are many variations to this on the web. Experiment because I like it vinegary. You can add any spice to this marinade to see what happens. Paprika or Chipotle powder works well on days I want heat.

For the sauce it is best to soak the cashews. But sometimes I forget to do this and have made this dish with unsoaked cashews or cashews that soaked for around 20 minutes. Because I have a cheap food processor I end up with a chunky sauce which is ok. Soaking give you a creamer sauce. Other nuts work too. The “rawmazing” web site recommends white wine. I have done it with both red and white wine and been very happy. White makes sweeter, red makes sourer. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

Peel the squash. Use a spiralizer or cut the squash into small chunks to make the noodles. Mix the sauce with noodles and place on a dish. Put the marinated mushrooms on top and there you have it. The amounts listed above make enough for one person for a full meal. I have yet to make a large amount of this and leave overnight in the fridge but I am sure it would do well for a few days. Salud!

Raw Acorn Squash with Pear Sauce

This dish is a simple as it gets. I think local Acorn Squash works best with this dish. The idea is to taste the squash and Acorn Squash has a smooth taste. I make a large amount of the sauce and then add some of it to whatever amount of squash I want for the evening. This is an easy to prepare side dish or it is excellent as the main course.

Ingredients:

• Squash (2 cups) (I like Acorn but any kind, Spaghetti, Butternut, Zucchini etc works)
• Pears (2 medium, very ripe, mostly brown skin and very soft)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 fresh squeezed medium or 1/6 cup Verjus)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4-1/2 cup depending on sourness you want)
• Garlic (2 big cloves)
• Olive oil (3 tbs, use a good one)(can be omitted, used to cut the sourness)

Chop the pears up into small pieces and combine with the lemon, apple cider vinegar, and garlic in a food processor or blender until a liquid (30 sec.). Peal skin and remove the seeds from the squash. Then use a sprializer to make noodles or just cut the acorn squash into ½ sugar cube size chunks. In a bowl mix together the squash noodles with the sauce and olive oil and it is ready. This makes enough for the main entree of two people. I like to put the sauce on the squash just before serving. The idea is to taste the full flavor of the squash along with the tanginess of the sauce. This goes well with a nice arugula salad and a very bold red wine. I keep the sauce covered in the refrigerator for 5 days and it is still fine. I have mixed the pear sauce with the squash and let it marinate for a day in the fridge. This softens the squash and takes out some of the strong squash taste. Marinating works well for people who find uncooked squash to be too gamey a taste. Once again this should be a celebration of fresh local grown squash. Other fruits can be substituted such as Mango, Kiwi, Cherry, Blueberry, Guava etc.  Salud!